I was standing in the kitchen doing dishes. Looking out into the sun filled yard; I watched Elsa wander around her back yard. Leaving the sunny view for a moment I turned around to grab a few more dirty dishes then returned to the sink. As I looked out to see Elsa again; she stood at the back garden, twisting her head around to look at me. She stared at me in the kitchen; tail wagging with a "hey Mom," face on. I watched her for a moment then called out to her "what's up?" Her tail wagged harder and she looked back over the fence. Drying my hands, I knew that something was up. As I walked to meet where she stood Elsa became more animated. "What do you want?" I asked her.Elsa looked back over the fence and down the hill. She looked back at me and down the hill again. Ahhhhhh, her ball had gone over the fence when I was away. We'd been out of town for a few days and her sitter was here taking care of her. The great strip of grass in the yard is perfect for tossing and retrieving; that is until the ball goes over the little fence. Obviously this had happened and Elsa needed me to know about it. She is a communicator, all dogs are. But, if you aren't paying attention you may miss a great deal of the communications. I could clearly see that Elsa needed to tell me something. I grabbed a rake and tried to get the ball; it was too far down the hill. Next I climbed over the little fence and slid down the hill to where the ball lay after going off it's mark. Tossing it up and over the fence to Elsa, she was now content. She had her ball; the one that she had no doubt been antsy about since it's disappearance. If a ball goes missing, either into the bushes, down a hill or up on roof, Elsa will not forget. She needs all of her balls with her. There are times when I can coax her away with another ball but she will not forget the lost one. I have had to tell her to "leave it" and walk away. She is hesitant and does not want to leave any ball behind. Dogs tell us what they want, need or just need to tell us. It is important to watch our dog; to really see what they are saying. They don't often speak to us so if you are not watching you'll miss what they are saying. Elsa let me know what happened when I was away; she's a smartie. Do you know what your dog is saying when they look at you?